The Outlanders
by CreativeWritingGirl
Summary: (Old and no longer active) Percy goes missing again, and Annabeth will stop at nothing to get him back. But in a nasty turn of events, both are captured by a rebel. Lindsay Hawthorne, Annabeth's little sister, is so torn up by her sister's disappearance that she joins another group of rouge demigods, the Outlanders. Slight Percabeth. Title has been changed. Updates will be slow.
1. Chapter 1

_Thirty-six months before…._

 _"Please don't go," Lindsay begged._

 _"I have to, Linney. I need to find him. I'll be back before you know it."_

 _"Annabeth, please!"_

 _"You have to be strong, Lindsay. Promise me you'll be strong." The older girl's grey eyes were filled with compassion._

 _"I can't." The little blonde girl started to cry. "I can't be strong without you."_

 _Annabeth knelt and opened her bag. It was filed with everything she could possibly need on her quest. She reached deep down and pulled out a little black drawstring bag. Pulling on the strings, it opened. Inside were two identical owl charms. Annabeth lifted one and clipped it to her sister's leather camp necklace, which already bore two beads, a lot for a girl her age. Then Annabeth clipped the other on her own, much fuller necklace._

 _"You might not be my real sister, Lindsay, but as long as you wear this, it will connect us. You will never be alone." Annabeth took a good look at her little sister. They were almost exactly the same. Same blonde curls, grey eyes, and slim, athletic stature._

 _Lindsay's eyes clouded dark. "This is a goodbye present!" she shrieked. "You can't say goodbye! I need my sister! You can't die for him!"_

 _"I'm not dying for him," Annabeth whispered, wrapping her sister in a hug. I'm going to find him, and I'm going to come right back. Right back to you."_

 _"Promise?" Lindsay whispered._

 _"Promise."_

 _Twenty-eight months before…_

 _Lindsay walked along the beach and sat at the edge of the water. She pushed her blonde curls away and unclipped the little owl from her neck. She'd taken to talking to it. It helped her cope._

 _"Hi Annabeth," she whispered. "I miss you. I wish I could talk to you. No, I wish you would talk to me. I talk to you all the time, but you never reply. Do you not care anymore? I know you're still out there somewhere. You promised you'd be back. I don't care how many burial shrouds they burn. My sister promised. And she is coming back. But when?" Lindsay paused. "It's been eight months. Malcolm keeps telling me that I should go to your memorial service, but I won't. I won't mourn someone who's not dead. He went home last night, Malcolm did. He's going to college. He's going to try. He might blow something up. Annette is our new head counselor. She's nice enough, I guess. Claire isn't very nice to me though. Except she's not as good at swordfighting as I am. I don't like her. I hope you come back, Annabeth. I miss you. I love you."_

 _Twenty-six months before…_

 _"It's my birthday, Annabeth. I'm eleven. I don't really feel like celebrating, though. Claire calls me an immature brat. She tells me—" Lindsay bit her lip. "She tells me you're not coming back. I know you are. I just wish you would answer me. I miss you. I love you."_

 _Fourteen months before…_

 _"Hi Annabeth. I know we haven't talked in a while. It's been hard. Annette left. I'm head counselor now, even though I'm only twelve. Claire was steaming mad when I was elected. She was so sure it was going to be her. Ha. I miss you Annabeth. I don't know if I can keep going without you. What happened? Did you forget about me? Did you run away with Percy? Are you…" Lindsay held back tears. "Are you dead?" she whispered. "Did you leave me? Maybe it wouldn't hurt so much if you just told me; if I knew for sure. I think that's what hurts the most, the not-knowing. Did I screw up? Did I make you mad?" Tears spilled down her cheeks. "Why did you go? I miss you. I love you."_

Annabeth had been having the time of her life. Nothing was more fun than being in Vegas at seventeen, partying with her boyfriend. They had been doing something, before they were there. But Annabeth couldn't quite remember. She was sure that it could wait. They'd only been in the hotel for four days. It was amazing. Why leave? On the fourth day, someone came and took them out. Annabeth barely remembered.

Now she was just confused. She was tied to a chair. Her neck hurt like she'd been sleeping sitting up. Her mind was a blur. Then she noticed Percy next to her.

"Pearc-" she voice was stale and came out as a hushed warble. She moistened her lips and tried again.

"Percy."

Her boyfriend turned toward her. His hair was even more unruly than usual and there were dark circles under his eyes. He was a hot mess, and Annabeth assumed she was as well.

"Annabeth," he choked.

"Where are we?" Annabeth glanced around the room. It was a bare cement cell with no windows and one lightbulb. There was a neatly made cot in the corner and a small table, both bolted to the floor. There was a door opposite them. That confused Annabeth. They were obviously prisoners. But right there was an unlocked door with no guards.

Just then, that door opened, and in walked a girl. She was tall and athletic, but not as tall Annabeth was. She had black curls that spilled over her shoulder, and she wore ripped skinny jeans, black combat boots, and a sweatshirt. Her pretty face was accented by strikingly blue eyes.

"Skylar?" Annabeth gasped.

"No!" the girl hissed. "I am Madison Black, apprentice of Nyx. Skylar-" she snarled as if the name was poison. "is a disgraceful excuse for a human."

"Okay drama queen," Percy laughed. "Can-"

In seconds, Madison's knife was at Percy's throat. "What," she hissed. "did you just call me?"

"Um...stunning? Flawless? Perfect?"

"That's what I thought." Madison slipped the knife back into her sleeve.

Annabeth looked pointedly at Percy. Obviously this girl was very unstable.

"Now," Madison giggled, clapping her hands together. "I didn't come here to threaten you. That would make me an ungracious host. No, I came with a bargaining chip." She pulled out a small, silver...owl charm.

"That's mine," Annabeth growled.

"I know!" Madison squealed. "It caught my attention, so I examined it. What I found is...earth shattering. Well for you, blondie."

Annabeth bit back a sharp retort.

Madison dislodged the wing of the owl and a mechanical voice spoke out, "Playing one of 236."

A girl's voice came through the speaker, slightly tinny.

"Hi Annabeth. I miss you."

Annabeth cried out like a wounded animal.

"Hush, child," Madison whispered sadistically. "There is much more for you to hear.

"Annabeth hung her head and sobbed while the messages played. After about ten or so, she lifted her head and looked at Madison with hate burning in her eyes. "How could she record so many? It's only been a few days."

Madison clicked the wings shut, silencing the voice of the young Lindsay. With a satanic grin, she said, "Surely you're not that stupid? It's been years since your sister has heard from you. All your friends think you're dead. Piper is depressed, Hazel is a selective mute, and Frank and Jason both went back to New Rome. Your world is gone."

Something clicked in Annabeth's head. She turned to Percy and their eyes locked.

"The Lotus Hotel and Casino."

Madison clapped her hands. "Very good! Now, I'll let your petty little sister fill you in as you watch your world crumble before your eyes. Or ears." She clicked the owl again, left it on the bedside table, and disappeared.

Young Lindsay began to speak again, and Annabeth just cried. She cried until she had not tears left, then she just the let the sobs wrack her body. And when she could no longer sob, she sat up, eyes glazed with pain, and stared at the wall, her eyes unseeing.

 **A/N That's long and possibly confusing. To clear a few things up:**

 **Sara, (Who Lindsay mentioned) Skylar, (Who Annabeth thought Madison was) and Madison**

 ** _You will hear more about who they are later. (They are all OCs)_**

 **Annette and Claire**

 ** _Also OCs, daughters of Athena, not super important from now on._**

 **Malcolm**

 ** _Rick's character, Son of Athena._**

 **Thank you for reading! I'm really excited about this story, but I'm nervous that it's not actually that good. Let me know what you thought and review or PM any questions that you had.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Hehehehehehe I'm so excited about where this story is going. I have nine chapters written out longhand, so there hopefully won't be too much delay, plus school is ending soon, so I can put more focus back into the writing. I will be continuing** ** _Vindicta_** **and** ** _If we arent loving, are we living?_** **Thanks for the love and support. You all are the clouds to my sunshine. (Don't judge me, I'm Irish. I hate the sun.)**

Lindsay awoke early, dressed in skinny jeans and her camp shirt, throwing a black fleece jacket aver to keep warm in the morning chill. She walked down to the waterfront. She sat on the rough boards of the dock and watched the rising sun bathe the water pink. Lindsay was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't realize someone was behind her until they tapped her on the shoulder. Lindsay was on her feet in an instant, her silver pocket-sized, razor-sharp knife in her hand.

"Woah, there," the girl said, grabbing Lindsay's wrist.

"Who are you?" Lindsay asked, her brow furrowing.

"Skylar Black, daughter of Hades."

Lindsay looked the girl over. She seemed to be about fifteen or sixteen. She wore black leggings, combat boots, and a black leather jacket over a gray tank top. Her face was very pretty, with vibrantly blue eyes and bow shaped lips. Her glossy black curls were tipped with blue.

Lindsay narrowed her eyes. "Why haven't I met you before?"

"I'm a bit..." Skylar searched for the word. "rogue?"

"But I should know about you. Chiron keeps tabs on all the outside demigods, even the unclaimed. Why not you?"

"Let's just say I know how to manipulate my way out."

Lindsay was debating whether to trust this girl.

"But," Skylar continued, " I might be able to help you."

"Help...me?"

"Indirectly," Skylar answered. "By helping your sister, I would be helping you, would I not?"

"Annabeth," Lindsay whispered. "You know where she is?"

"I haven't the faintest idea. But I do plan on finding out. I kinda owe Annabeth. She and I go way back."

"Can we...?" Lindsay breathed. She realized she was rushing into this without a plan, and idea of where to go, but it hardly mattered. She was going to see her sister again.

"I bought the A-team to help out," Skylar added. She snapped her fingers and two figures melted from the shadows of the pier. One had unruly red hair tamed in a low ponytail that curled over her shoulder. She had a cute nose and green eyes. The other was six inches taller than the readhead and had frizzy brown hair. Her eyes were an unusual golden-brown color. Both girls wore quest clothes.

"Let me introduce Willow Willis-" the redhead nodded to Lindsay. "-daughter of Zeus, and Sara Harper-" the other girl smiled. "-daughter of Apollo. Girls, this is Lindsay...?"

"Hawthorne," Lindsay finished. "I'm a daughter of Athena.

"Sounds good," Willow laughed. "We need a brainy one around here. Skylar here is brave, but her intellect-"

The daughter of Zeus was cut off by a smack to the head by a afore mentioned Hades child. Willow just shook her head and laughed.

"We should get moving," Sara piped. "We want to get out of here before sunrise, when everyone is around. Which, by the way, is approximately thirty-one minutes from now."

"Sounds good," Skylar mimicked Willow in a nasally voice.

"I need stuff from my cabin," Lindsay interjected.

"We can shadowtravel in and out," Skylar assured her.

"Okay. I've never shadowtraveled before."

"Well then aren't you in for a treat?" Skylar asked grimly. She grabbed Lindsay's arm. "Hold onto me." And the two girls disappeared into darkness.

They appeared in the shadows of Lindsay's bunk. Tossing a few items into a backpack, Lindsay moved quickly so that none of her siblings awoke. Except...

"Lindsay?" The little voice of Macey Starling was layered with curtains of sleep.

"Hey, love." Lindsay knelt by the little girl's bed.

"Where are you going?"

Lindsay bit her lip. Comforting her six-year-old sister was a painful reminder of a similar thing that had happened years before. She knew all about history's tendency to repeat...but she hoped that this was an exception.

"I'll be back soon, okay baby?"

Lindsay had always had a soft spot for Macey. The little girl had been orphaned and found at a foster home. She was the youngest one ever to make it to camp.

"Don't go..." Macey mumbled, but her voice faded behind drapes of fatigue, and her eyes slowly closed.

Lindsay kissed her sister's forehead and stood up. She held on tight to Skylar's arm. She look one last sweeping glance at the cabin. The only home she'd ever had. Tears pricked her eyes and she was suddenly glad of the dark. She couldn't shake the strange sensation that this was the last time she would ever see her siblings like this. Squeezing her eyes shut, she felt herself melt into shadow.

 **A/N It would make me _so frigging happy_ if you guys reviewed. Please?**


	3. Chapter 3

They traveled all day. By noon, the sun beat down so relentlessly that Lindsay looked longingly at each patch of shade they passed. They were walking up a highway that seemed strangely deserted. She wasn't really sure where they were going, but she didn't ask. She was still a little on edge with these strange girls. Finally, they stopped and ducked under low-hanging limbs towards the forest that edged the road.

The area beyond the first line of trees was surprisingly open for about six feet before it became dense forest again. Skylar looked at the other girls.

"Lunch?" she asked.

"Definitely," Sara said.

"Please," Willow moaned.

"Sure," Lindsay muttered, and the four girls sat in a little circle and ate.

As they were finishing up, a buzzing sound echoed through the clearing. Everyone looked at Skylar, so Lindsay did too. Skylar lifted her wrist, which was encircled by a flat, silver band.

She tapped it and said, "Hey."

The voice that issued from the bracelet sent shivers down Lindsay's spine. "Hiya, sis."

"Hey, where are you?" Skylar asked.

"I'm on my way. Did you get the Athena girl?"

"You know it. Do you need a GPS?"

"Yeah. I can't find you."

"It's our old haunt, back on the highway."

"Gotcha. Be there in a flash."

Skylar tapped the bracelet again. "That was my brother, Henry. Do you know him?"

Lindsay nodded, unable to speak.

Then he melted from the shadows.

He was taller than she remembered. He'd left for a quest a month before Skylar had showed up. He loomed over his sister by several inches, and was still a bit taller than Sara, the tallest of them all. He was, at fourteen, probably close to 5'10. He was his usual black straight-leg jeans and pullover. his hair was pushed carelessly to one side underneath his slouchy beanie that always accompanied his cheeky grin that made her heart skip a beat. Just the sight of him made her hands shake, just a little.

"So..." he said, turning his eyes to her. "Lindsay."

"Um. Hi." _Real eloquent, Lindsay._

Skylar cut in. "Do you guys know each other?"

Henry looked down. "We've met."

Lindsay felt her cheeks burn red. She couldn't find her voice.

"Oookaay..." Skylar's eyes flitted between Lindsay and Henry.

Lindsay couldn't fid her voice. She was mentally begging Henry not to say anything. _Don't mention it,_ she thought with all her might. She lifted her head to meet his eyes, brown on grey. He gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head. She released a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. He wouldn't betray her, at least not yet. Lindsay could almost see her chances disintegrating in front of her eyes. She needed to get away, to breathe. More then anything, she needed to get those chocolate-colored eyes off her.

"Later, Henry," she said, her voice steadier than she expected. She walked away, but it was no use; she could still feel his eyes boring holes into her shoulder blades. She turned away, sitting down on the ground, listening to the meaningless chatter of Henry, Skylar and Willow catching up and making plans.

Lindsay forced back tears and tried to feel nothing at all.

Her silent, serene world was shattered by the words, "Can I sit?"

Lindsay looked up to see Sara. "Yeah," she choked out.

"You've been through a lot, Lindsay. i admire you." Sara's voice was soft.

"You admire me?"

"Sure," she replied. "You're amazing. You're so, so smart. I can see that from just looking at you. Plus, you're kinda gorgeous."

Lindsay laughed mirthlessly. "That's not even remotely true."

"Suit yourself," Sara replied. There was a moment of silence before Sara spoke again. "You like him, don't you?"

Lindsay wiped the tears that were beginning to spill down her cheeks. "Yeah," she said, before she could even consider what the best way to reply was. "A lot."

Sara smiled. "I get it. Me too."

Lindsay glanced at her. "Really?"

"Yup. Since last year."

Lindsay nodded. "I've liked him for as long as I can remember," she said. "Almost three years now." She had no idea why she was spilling her secrets like this, but for some reason, Sara was just so easy to talk to.

"Just to warn you," Sara winced at her words. "He has a girlfriend."

Lindsay suppressed the bubble of angry, jealous emotions that bubbled up inside. "Since when?" she asked evenly.

"February. Her name's Blaire."

Lindsay knew it was irrational to hate someone before you'd even met them, but she did. She hated Blaire. She hated that Blaire probably had everything. She was probably perfect. Henry wouldn't ever settle for anything less. If he had found Blaire...there must have been something pretty special about her. That madeLindsay want to curl in a ball on the forest floor and cry.

 **A/N Okay, I'm back. Updates on this are, as always, slow. Sorry.**


	4. Chapter 4

Lindsay sat on her rock, watching the Outlanders joke and jostle each other. She was annoyed suddenly. Annoyed by how easy and light they could be on a quest. On a quest to save the two greatest heroes Camp Half Blood had ever known. One of which was Annabeth. _Her sister._ Anger and frustration bubbled up inside her, and she could no longer sit and watch. She sprang to her feet and marched over to the group. She stood behind Sara. Henry looked up, met her eyes, then quickly looked away. Disappointment welled in her chest, but then Skylar threw her head back laughing, and Lindsay's harrowing anger returned.

"Is this how you treat all your quests?"

"Lindsay?" Willow looked up.

"Do you have no sense of serious business?"

"Uh..." Sara twisted around to see Lindsay. "We were just joking around."

"I want answers. You abducted me from my home with the clearly empty promise that we would find my sister. Instead, we're sitting in the woods incessantly joking."

"You want answers?" Skylar mused. "Okay."

"Tell her, Sky," Henry spoke up for the first time.

"All right then. You see, Lindsay, i had a dream. And in this dream, I heard what sounded like a prophecy."

There was a silence.

"Say it, Skylar," Willow prompted.

Skylar took a deep breath. She no longer looked like a strong confident leader. She looked small and scared, like a deer in headlights. Then she said:

 _"Child of Wisdom, child of Light_

 _together shall quell apprentice of Night_

 _Five half-bloods shall rescue the two_

 _and a demigod army be made anew_

 _The five must fight this army strong_

 _and fear will end in death before long."_

Skylar's words hung in the air like a threat. The she said quietly, "When I told everyone else about the prophecy, they knew that..that the two must have been Percy and Annabeth. And child of Wisdom we could only assume was one of Annabeth's siblings."

Lindsay cut her off. "Why choose me?"

Skylar smiled raggedly. "Chance," she answered. "When we came into camp that day, we wante to see which demigod was the one of the prophecy. Just scoping out the turf. But we stumbled right into you. I'd known Annabeth well enough to know that you were...very important to her. So you were a good choice. As for the child of Light? We can only assume Apollo. But we have no way of knowing, and no leads to who it could be."

Suddenly, Henry looked up. "Sky?"

"Yeah?"

"Could it be Blaire?"

The air crackled dangerously. Thunder boomed. Willow's gaze was hard. Henry flinched.

"Maybe..." Skylar even looked a little frightened.

Lindsay knew she might be making things worse by trying to smooth it over, but she was too curious. "What about the army?"

Everyone's attention turned back to her. Skylar shrugged. "Sorry, Lindsay. I have no idea. But never, ever underestimate Madison. And the apprentice of Night? I can only assume that has something to do with Nyx."

Sara shuddered. "I've met Nyx before, and it wasn't pretty. She's dangerous."

Willow nodded. "And this apprentice...they're probably either a demigod or mortal, which makes it even more difficult to pinpoint them."

Lindsay bit her lip. This was not the answer she had wanted.

 **A/N Just so you all know, the title hunt has ended! The new title is** **αδελφή** **, meaning sister in Greek. (Pronounced adelfí̱)**

 **I know my prophecy wasn't really up to Uncle Rick's par, but I tried my best! This chapter was a little short, so please forgive me for that. Ily all! REVIEW!**

 **P.S. Thanks for the flames, Matt! Honesty is a virtue. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

Skylar's words hung over everyone's heads as they all traded notes on where to find Madison. Everyone had a different idea. Sara thought that they should send out a distress call to the nature spirits. She said that Madison had to have touched nature at some point. So _someone_ would know where to find her. But everyone soon decided that this was far too complicated and time-consuming. They didn't know how long Percy and Annabeth would have. Skylar just wanted to find them immediately. But so far, they were at a dead end. Lindsay was beyond frustrated. She hated not understanding, not knowing the facts. Lindsay had greater knowledge of Greek mythology than almost anyone else in the world. She was used to having at least _some_ background knowledge. But here, not even intellect or strategy could save them. Madison could be anywhere. it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Except the needle wanted to kill you and your friends and the haystack was the size of Earth itself. Even after hours of speculating, there was no lead, no ideas. Lindsay wasn't sure whether to scream or cry or take notes.

Finally, she'd had enough. "Skylar," she said evenly.

Everyone turned to look at her. Lindsay took a deep breath. "This is my forte, guys. This is why I'm a part of this quest. If I can know the facts, I can figure this out."

There was a short silence. Then, of all people, Henry spoke up. "She's right."

Then Willow nodded. "Yeah. She's our best chance."

Sara grinned. "Agreed."

Skylar contemplated for a moment. "Alright."

Lindsay let out the breath she'd been holding. "Okay. Tell me everything about Madison."

Skylar began, "Madison and I were born twins sixteen years ago, in Newport, Rhode Island. Our mother was a severely depressed. She tried to commit suicide six times as an adult. Hades, however, had fallen in love with her. He wanted her to live. So he never let her die. Every time, she pulled through by the skin of her teeth in the hospital. Then, Hades came to visit her. She was happier than she'd ever been in her life, she told us. We were born, and everything was perfect. But Hades had to leave. And our mother fell into a deep depression once again. Somehow, Madison and I lived. We should have died of starvation, of neglect. But we lived. Hades saved us. My mother tried to overdose once again. But this time, Hades came to save her in person. he was realizing that Madison and I, two years old at the time, were not ordinary demigods. one my mother was saved, he begged her to let him take us. He knew that our extraordinary abilities would attract more monsters. He wanted to save her more than he wanted to save us. But she loved us. She refused to let us go. So Hades stayed with her for a time, to try to convince her. And lo and behold, Henry came along. Hades was furious with himself, so he took all three of us to camp. But the gods realized what had been happening all along. That Hades had repeatedly saved our mother from death. And Zeus was furious. He wanted to kill us all, but Hades begged him to let us be raised at camp. Zeus agreed, but he forbid Hades from ever coming into contact with our mother again. So, when our mother committed suicide two weeks later, Hades was forced to let her die. Madison and I were four. Henry was only eleven months. At camp, Madison and I were outcasts. Freaks. We couldn't control our powers. We found Willow and Sara and ran away. And the Outlanders was formed."

Lindsay heard a small annoyed sound from Henry. Something about that irked him, even now. Even on such an important quest, she kept letting her mind wander to him. She wondered so much about him. She wondered why he seemed so detached from everyone. She wondered who Blaire was and why Willow seemed so bothered by her. She wondered if things would have been different between them if she hadn't been so stupid.

she pushed all theses thoughts away. It was time to come up with a plan. She couldn't let her friends down.

 **A/N In response to a reviewer:**

 **Matt- First of all, I appreciate the flames. Reminds me to spellcheck and work hard to give my best. Secondly, Hades did not break the oath, you are correct. My story takes place after the Blood of Olympus, and the oath of the Big Three was revoked after The Last Olympian. So Hades was free to do what he pleased. Like have three kids. Last of all, Hazel doesn't have the same mist powers that the Outlanders have. The Outlanders have the power to not only make you _see_ something, they can make you _feel_ or _believe_ something. This gives them a huge, dangerous advantage over whoever they are fighting. However, aside from Madison, they mostly refrain from using these powers. **

**Anyway, thanks for reading, Matt. I appreciate that you went to the effort of giving me your honest opinion.**


	6. Chapter 6 (updated)

Minutes melted into hours, hours into days. Lindsay had never been more frustrated. After years of waiting for Annabeth to return, she'd never been closer to her. But every second they wasted, Lindsay felt they drifted farther away from her sister. The company she kept wasn't helping. Things between her and Henry were...awkward. Every time he didn't meet her eyes, or purposefully avoided her, she felt a wave of shame and embarrassment. She wished she could go back in time and reverse what had happened between them. She wanted a do-over.

Willow was a storm cloud. Literally. She had a dark look on her face, and whenever anyone tried to engage her, lighting crackled and the air smelled of ozone.

Sara was trying. She was trying to keep everyone in order, to keep the quest moving, but no one listened.

Skylar was pissed at Henry. They had quiet whisper-fights every few hours. Lindsay wanted desperately to understand what had happened between them, but she was too scared to ask Skylar, and there was no way in Hades she was going to ask Henry.

She spent every waking hour poring over the information Skylar had given her. She took notes, worked on every lead she had, but came up empty-handed. There were no answers. She analyzed every word of the prophecy, ever though Chiron had told her not to dwell of the word of the Oracle. Still, there was nothing. No right way to go. She couldn't pinpoint Madison's location. She couldn't even come up with a general sense of where the girl might be.

After one particularly long research session, she was ready to scream. It was such a dead-end problem. she threw her notebook down into the dirt and buried her face in her hands. She felt the tears leaking out before she could stop them. She was in the woods, trying to solve an impossible problem, alone but for three girls she barely knew and the very boy she wanted nothing to do with. If anything deserved her tears, this did.

Lindsay didn't know how long she sat there before someone sat down beside her.

"Hey," they said. "You okay?"

Lindsay froze. A tear trickled down the inside of her palm. With an intake of breath, she raised her head, wiping the stupid tears from her eyes. Of all people, Henry _had_ to be the one to come comfort her.

"Yeah," she said, her voice shaky. "Just frustrated."

"You've got a lot on your plate."

Lindsay looked at him sideways. His eyes were fixed on the ground.

"I guess so," she said quietly.

"Look, I kinda want to apologize."

"What for?" Lindsay asked.

"For being a jerk the past couple days. I mean, I don't want to reopen old wounds-" they both flinched at his choice of wording. "I mean, this quest is hard enough for you as it is. I don't want to be the reason it's unbearable. So...do you think we could just start over? Forget...anything ever happened?"

Lindsay turned this over in her mind. "Okay," she said quietly. "That sounds like a good idea."

Henry grinned, and Lindsay allowed herself a small smile.

"What about everything else?" he asked her after a moment.

"I suppose it's alright," she answered. "But for the past few days I've felt aimless. Like everything's happening far away. Like I'm watching myself perform actions of everyday life and not caring. It's rather...hypnagogic."

There was a silence.

"Sorry," Lindsay blushed. "That was pretentious."

Henry laughed. "No, I found it more ostentatious."

"I think it was magniloquent."

"Euphuistic."

"Grandiolquent."

"Okay, Smart Stuff. You win." Henry was laughing.

"Of course I win." Lindsay said, rolling her eyes. "Did you expect to best a daughter of Athena in a vocabulary contest? 'Cause sorry, Death Breath, that's never gonna happen."

He stared at her. "Did you just call me "Death Breath?' Did that actually just come out of your mouth?"

Lindsay stared him down.

He shook his head. "That is the lamest nickname ever. That's so bad."

"You called me 'Smart Stuff,' and you're criticizing my choice of insult?"

He nodded. "Yeah, pretty much."

"Oh my gods, you are the most impossible human being ever," Lindsay sighed.

"No I'm not."

Lindsay ran a hand through her blonde curls. "Gods help me, if you weren't so interesting to talk to, I might murder you."

"You find me interesting?"

"Yeah, I mean, you're really smart, I guess, and you have interesting things to say-"

He was smirking.

"Oh, like you need your head inflated any more than it already is," Lindsay scoffed.

"It's'all good," he responded. "You're pretty interesting yourself."

Lindsay just smiled. She liked this arrangement much better.

 **A/N IM SORRY I AM A TERRIBLE HUMAN BEING I JUST DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO WRITE THIS CHAPTER AND IT WAS REALLY HARD TO MAKE THE DIALOGUE RIGHT IM SORRY**

 **Special thanks to HopesOfTomorrow you're pretty fab**

 **I'll be better in the future, I promise.**

 **Review please. I love you.**

 **Btw this chapter's for Tawny, if you're reading this. I love you more than anything.**


	7. Chapter 7

The morning after Lindsay's confrontation with Henry, everyone slept in. The night before had been tense. The Hades kids had an intense fight that ended with Skylar slapping Henry across the face and storming off. She was fuming as she crawled into her sleeping bag next to Willow. Henry's face was hard and impassive, one side turning red from Skylar's hand. Sara watched them with her eyebrows drawn close with worry. She exchanged a glance with Lindsay as they both lay down. There was no way the quest could continue like this. The Hades children were incessantly squabbling; Lindsay hoped to all the gods that she wouldn't have to play mediator to _that_ fight.

But on that morning, their luck finally took a turn. Whether that was a turn for the better of the worst, was debatable. They were all sitting around, finishing up eating when the air behind Henry shimmered.

An Iris-Message showed up; a girl in armor stood in front of Thalia's tree. She was alone, and her face was hidden by a helmet. But the second she appeared, the air crackled with electricity, and Willow's gaze turned sharp. Silence filled the clearing. Then, Skylar jumped up.

"Hey, you!" she cried. "What's up?"

"Hey, Skylar. Nothing much. I heard about your quest." It sounded like the girl was smiling, but Lindsay couldn't tell.

"Oh, yeah?" Skylar asked. "What about it?"

"Well, the point is that I might have a lead for you all. Maybe."

For a moment, no one spoke. The air smelled like ozone. Lindsay held her breath.

"What are we waiting for?" Sara spoke up finally.

Skylar smiled nervously. "Alright. Get over here, Lewitt, and we'll discuss your lead."

The moment the Iris-message faded, Willow jumped up.

"HOW DARE YOU?" she shrieked. "WHAT THE HADES ARE YOU THINKING?" Her face was contorted with fury.

"Willow, calm down." Skylar's voice shook.

"DONT YOU DARE TELL ME WHAT TO DO, SHADOW-FACE!" the daughter of Zeus steamed. "You have no idea what you've done!"

Sara reached for Willow's arm. "You can tell us what's going on, Willow."

Willow's face was as red as her hair, and her eyes were rimmed with tears. "I can't," she whispered. "I'm sorry."

And she was gone.

 **Ultra-ultra short chapter because, yet again, I am a terrible, awful person. There are so many tangents and ideas that I want to follow through on in this fic, but I can't find a way to figure them all out. I'm sorry. Updates will be slow. I love you all.**

 **~CWG**


	8. Chapter 8

So many unanswered questions. Lindsay felt like Dorothy. There was a whole new world of demigods she'd had no idea even existed. So many people that were part of a network. How many contacts did the Outlanders have? Dozens, it seemed. Also, how were they so far off the record? Twin sisters of Hades and a Daughter of Zeus just dropping of the ends of the earth? Lindsay didn't see how Chiron would let that happen, much less that everyone would forget so soon. She'd been at camp for more years than almost anyone else. She'd seen every record, every log book, every journal the camp had to offer. She'd scoured the attic until her brain hurt from the heat. But nothing, never, ever mentioned this peculiar group of rouge demigods.

Lindsay felt more alone than ever. She wasn't one of these girls. She didn't have mystical powers. Henry avoided her at all costs. She was "the smart one" who was turning out to be pretty dumb. She couldn't contribute to this quest. She didn't even belong here.

 _Annabeth,_ a voice in her head said.

Lindsay scowled internally. She made a mental note to decapitate Perseus Jackson the moment she found him. Stupid boy had gotten her sister into more trouble than he was worth. She didn't care how much Annabeth cared about him, or how much of a brotherly figure he was to her. She was going to swallow down all those piggy back rides he'd given her, all those giggles, and _kill him._ She would murder him.

Either way, she couldn't give up on her sister. Annabeth was in danger. This was Lindsay's chance to prove that she was a hero, too. This was her moment to shine, no matter what. No one could take this from her.

Oh how very wrong she was.

As she watched Willow disappear into the woods, Henry nudged Sara.

"C'mon, Sara," he told her. "Do the thing."

"Henry, it's called photokinesis."

"I know its called photokinesis. I just like pissing you off. Do the thing."

Sara rolled her eyes and stood up, brushing off her jeans.

She looked around the clearing before going to stand in one of the brightest patches of sunlight.

"Everyone shut up," she said, even though they were quiet already.

Sara stood silently, sunlight filtering through her honey-brown curls, turning them caramel. She tilted her face up toward the sky, the ambiance illuminating the line of her nose and chin. And just like that, she disappeared.

"What?" Lindsay asked, breaking the silence.

"Shh," Skylar whispered.

Not a moment later, Sara reappeared, this time holding hands with the girl from the Iris-Message.

Skylar jumped up. "Lewitt!" she cried, jumping out to hug the girl. "Gods of Olympus, it's been ages since I saw you last!"

"Missed you too, Sky," the girl laughed through her helmet.

Henry was by her side in an instant. She pulled off her helmet, a cascade of copper hair falling out. He leaned down and kissed her cheek, and two spots of pink appeared of her cheeks.

Something awful lurched in Lindsay's stomach, and she swallowed it down.

Sara grabbed the girl's arm and pulled her over to where Lindsay was standing.

"Blaire, this is Lindsay Hawthorne, Daughter of Athena," Sara said.

The girl smiled. "I'm Blaire Lewitt," she said. "Daughter of Apollo."

Lindsay forced a smile. "Nice to meet you."

"You too," Blaire replied. Then someone grabbed her arm and pulled her back, leaving Lindsay to stare at the spot that Blaire's stunningly beautiful face had been, only moments before.

 **A/N Who's a bad person? I'm a bad person! I'm really sorry. I've given up trying to be active. This story is gonna end up being so complicated. But I'm trying. I really am. I just really don't ever have time to write anymore.**

 **Please review. I would love you forever.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N I'm so sorry. I had big plans for this story, and the whole thing was very much based off an awful time in my life. But I just don't want to continue this anymore. It's really emotionally upsetting to plan and write about something I've already gotten past.**

 **So full disclosure. Yes, Lindsay is based off of me. All the OC's in this story are based off of real people. And I just can't write about them anymore. This story started as a coping mechanism, but now that everything is over, I can't go back.**

 **Mikaela-I'm sorry. I would really appreciate it if you didn't kill me for this. But I hope you understand why I had to.**


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